Certain surfactants, including, for example, the >C8 primary alkyl sulphate (‘PAS’) surfactants having utility in detergent compositions, are difficult to dissolve in water at low temperatures. This may be due to the surfactant forming a viscous phase on contact with water and this phase can act as a mixing barrier, hindering further dissolution of surfactant. It may also be that the crystalline form of surfactant is very stable at low temperatures. While it would be advantageous, for environmental reasons, to be able to use PAS and certain other surfactants for laundering, and even more advantageous if this could be done at low temperatures, the dissolution kinetics of PAS have precluded its widespread use in low temperature washing.
Our co-pending international patent application PCT/GB03/03226 describes the formation of porous beads comprising a three dimensional open-cell lattice of a water-soluble polymeric material with an average bead diameter in the range 0.2 to 5 mm. These are typically ‘templated’ materials formed by the removal of a non-aqueous dispersed phase from a high internal phase emulsion. The beads are freeze-dried to remove the bulk of the aqueous phase. This leaves a ‘skeletal’ form of the emulsion behind. The beads dissolve rapidly in water and have the remarkable property that a water insoluble component dispersed in the emulsion prior to drying can also be dispersed in water on solution of the beads. Surfactant is present as an emulsifier.